With foreclosures, shelters see rise in abandoned pets

As thousands of homeowners across the country face foreclosure, some pets have become victims of the nation's housing crisis and are left behind when owners abandon their homes.

John Hilliard

As thousands of homeowners across the country face foreclosure, some pets have become victims of the nation's housing crisis and are left behind when owners abandon their homes.

"A lot of people say they're losing their home," said Blair Boyd, the shelter manager at Baypath Humane Society in Hopkinton. She later added, "It's hard having to lose their home, and to lose their pet on top of it."

Foreclosures continue across the country: Bloomberg News reported Wednesday that the number of U.S. homes entering foreclosure climbed 75 percent last year - with more than 2.2 million default auction notices, and bank repossessions reported on about 1.3 million properties. As many as 750,000 homes will go into foreclosure this year, according to Bloomberg.

As more people lose their homes, many will abandon their pets to fend for themselves - sometimes leaving them inside an abandoned house or set free to survive in the neighborhood. Cats are more likely to be abandoned, said local shelter workers, because owners wrongly assume they can survive on their own.

Shelters are reluctant to hold pets for struggling owners to pick up later because they lack the resources to care for those animals and keep them indefinitely.

According to the national Humane Society, many pets left inside abandoned homes aren't found until they're on the brink of starvation, and those placed in a shelter only have about a 50 percent chance of being adopted.

At Baypath, Boyd estimated a 10 percent increase in calls from people hoping to leave their pets with the shelter. Shelters are often a last resort: Owners usually try friends and family first so they can reclaim their pets later, she said.

Other pets are brought in by the public. One person hauled in four cats, said Boyd, who was told five more were still loose from that household.

"You must really be desperate to leave your animal behind," said Boyd.

Gina Letteri, outreach coordinator for Buddy Dog Humane Society in Sudbury, said her shelter would try to accommodate someone who has to let go of a pet, but works to keep control on collecting new animals by making appointments to examine the pets first.

"We do get calls from people losing their homes ... we've heard that reason more often than we used to," said Letteri. "We've gotten calls from people who say, 'I'm living in my car."'

In Framingham, the MetroWest Humane Society is filled with abandoned pets, and about 80 pet owners are waiting to leave their animal with the shelter, said manager Jackie Walters. Her shelter added six new cats last night, but in a "good week," the group may find permanent homes for about five pets, she said.

She said owners should call as many shelters as possible to find one ready to accept a new animal - many shelters are listed at www.petfinder.com - and plan ahead about the future of their pets. The national Humane Society also posts tips on finding a home that allows pets at www. humanesociety.org/rentwithpets.

"It's work, finding your pet a new home. If you want to do right by them, it's work," said Walters.